WASHINGTON (ABP) — President Obama will participate in a national call-in and audio webcast on health reform with religious leaders Aug. 19. Faith leaders made the announcement Aug. 10 in a conference call with reporters. It is one of several…
NEW BAPTIST COVENANT: Carter planning return trip to Gaza
NORMAN, Okla. (ABP) — Former President Jimmy Carter said Aug. 7 he is planning a return trip to Gaza in an effort to focus international attention on what he describes as a humanitarian crisis. Carter, who sparked controversy in June…
Funeral of girl killed in bus crash to be webcast live
SHREVEPORT, La. (ABP) — People from around the world who went online to read about and pray for a 12-year-old victim of a church-bus crash during the last three weeks of her life will also be able to watch her…
Louisiana girl dies from injuries in church-bus crash
JACKSON, Miss. (ABP) — A July 12 rollover of a bus carrying a church youth group to a summer camp has claimed a second fatality. Maggie Lee Henson, 12, died Aug. 2 after a three-week battle with critical head injuries…
Saddleback removes audio clip saying abuse no excuse for divorce
LAKE FOREST, Calif. (ABP) — A senior staff member of Rick Warren’s Saddleback Church, quoted earlier this year as teaching the Bible does not permit a woman to divorce an abusive husband, has said the audio clip containing the comment…
Oklahoma Baptist newspaper apologizes to governor for illustration
OKLAHOMA CITY (ABP) — A Baptist newspaper in Oklahoma has apologized for publishing an illustration digitally edited to make it appear a controversial proclamation declaring America a Christian nation was endorsed by the state’s Baptist governor. The Baptist Messenger, official…
Church bus accident claims one life; another teen still critical
SHREVEPORT, La. (ABP) — A Baptist church’s youth minister is recovering at home from injuries he received July 12 when the bus carrying his youth group to a Georgia camp rolled over on a Mississippi interstate highway, injuring 23 passengers…
Religious leaders urge inquiry into use of torture
WASHINGTON (ABP) — A group of high-profile religious leaders from various faiths is pushing President Obama to establish a commission of inquiry to investigate alleged United States-sanctioned use of torture since 9/11. Thirty-three religious leaders met with administration officials after…
Episcopal presiding bishop terms individualistic salvation ‘heresy’ and ‘idolatry’
ANAHEIM, Calif. (ABP) — The presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church called the evangelical teaching that individuals can be right with God a “great Western heresy” that is behind many problems facing the church and the wider society. Presiding Bishop…
Pop Culture Christianity: What fad would Jesus follow?
HOLLAND, Mich. (ABP) — Looking for a way to help members of her youth group use moral discernment when making life choices, a Lutheran youth minister in Holland, Mich., re-read a copy of Charles Sheldon’s In His Steps, a classic…
Former SBC president embraces creation care
DULUTH, Ga. (ABP) — A former president of the Southern Baptist Convention acknowledged to a group of Christian environmentalists that he is a recent convert to the concept of creation care. “We ought to motivate every follower of Christ in…
‘National Year of the Bible’ resolution roils Congress, drawing praise and criticism
WASHINGTON (ABP) — A battle over the Bible is brewing in the halls of Congress, and political blogs are buzzing about a Southern Baptist congressman’s desire to designate 2010 as “The National Year of the Bible.” Rep. Paul Broun (R-Ga.),…